Hello Corey Williams?

Greg Bedard makes a smart case for slapping the franchise tag on Corey Williams. I must say, I was skeptical going in because Ted Thompson has a reasonably good history of letting high-priced veterans leave, either through free agency or trades, and the decisions often turn out to be good ones. (Mike McKenzie, Javon Walker, Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera.) But Bedard makes some very persuasive points in suggesting that Thompson ought to think hard about letting Williams walk.